Synthetic geopolymers for controlled delivery of oxycodone : Adjustable and nanostructured porosity enables tunable and sustained drug release

• In this article we for the first time present a fully synthetic mesoporous geopolymer drug carrier for controlled release of opioids. Nanoparticulate precursor powders with different Al/Si-ratios were synthesized by a sol-gel route and used in the preparation of different geopolymers, which could be structurally tailored by adjusting the Al/Si-ratio and the curing temperatures. In particular, it was shown that the pore sizes of the geopolymers decreased with increasing Al/Si ratio and that completely mesoporous geopolymers could be produced from precursor particles with the Al/Si ratio 2:1. The mesoporosity was shown to be associated with a sustained and linear in vitro release profile of the opioid oxycodone. A clinically relevant release period of about 12 h was obtained by adjusting the size of the pellets. The easily fabricated and tunable geopolymers presented in this study constitute a novel approach in the development of controlled release formulations, not only for opioids, but whenever the clinical indication is best treated with a constant supply of drugs and when the mechanical stability of the delivery vehicle is crucial.

Nyckelord

TECHNOLOGY

TEKNIKVETENSKAP

Engineering Science with specialization in Materials Science

Teknisk fysik med inriktning mot materialvetenskap

Teknisk fysik med inriktning mot nanoteknologi och funktionella material

Engineering Science with specialization in Nanotechnology and Functional Materials

Publikations- och innehållstyp

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